E3 2014: Electronic Arts news conference

12:46: Battlefield: Hardline is being described as a TV cop drama. They’re also discussing the origin from a Battlefield 3 expansion pack. It’s actually cool to see how the game looks like when it’s full of players. Wow, interesting moves like ziplining. Nice touches like shooting out the glass while you’re driving. So many semi scripted events. You can even zipline onto a motorcycle. Wow. So many epic moments. I like how they use the destructable environments to change pathways in a level. The one question I have i show much of this is scripted and how much is natural.

That was an impressive demo.

12:36: OMG. It’s Mirror’s Edge 2. They’re explaining Faith as a character, right down to the character. They’re building on the move set of the first Mirror’s Edge. The combat for Mirror’s Edge is good. They’re adding new moves to expand the gameplay. I like the concepts. Argh. I want it now.

12:33: Dawngate is being shown. The team is explaining why it’s different from other MOBAs. It’s story-driven, there’s a meta game, etc.

12:30: There is a new camera focused on defense. You can push blockers into different direction to close running lanes. Tiered tackle column. Conservative tackles are more reliable. Aggressive tackles take more skills. The revamped defense looks great. I always hated tackling. Madden 15 launches Aug. 26.

12:28: EA’s PGA Tour uses Frostbite 3 engine. Wow. That’s a lot of detail and now there are animals and battleships.

12:26: It looks like Criterion Games’ new IP has all different vehicles. They’re looking at personal watercraft, helicopters, ATVs. They said they’re influenced by videos people film and put on YouTube. Think of GoPro stuff. Man, they’re hyping this up. It looks promising.

12:22: NHL 15 looks better and they’re putting physics in all 12 players and the puck. It looks smooth. I’m not a big hockey fan but I have to admit that it’s looking good, almost indistinguishable from real life sometimes.

12:20: EA Canada explaining why Bruce Lee is in UFC. The game is gorgeous. I figure they need to use Lee to draw a mainstream audience. It’s coming out next week guys. Expect a review.

12:14: Sims 4 is being shown. Personalilty and emotion are the emphasis of the new one. Those feelings influence their activity. Personality drives behavior and it creates new stories. One Sim can ruin a party. There’s a new gallery full of homes and Sims created by other players. You can share Sims complete with their personality. You can bring in Sims to change the party. And characters can die of laughter. New Sims coming Sept. 2.

12:11 New Mass Effect game and everyone is cheering. There’s a lot of conceptual prototype art. There’s also going to be a new IP. It’s a fictional world that feels real and is constantly changing.

12:07: EA is setting the bar this year. They brought a musician to play the opening theme to Dragon Age: Inquisition. BioWare’s Aaron Flynn is talking about the game. A high dragon is the apex predator fo the world. Interesting, how you switch quickly among heroes. It reminds me of the first Dragon Age rather than the second. They’re offering two modes of control.

12:01: DICE went back to the Lucas archives to check original set pieces. It looks like they did a lot of research and the gameplay shows it. I have never wanted to play a Star Wars game this much before.